David Lynch: Liverpool have ‘no chance’ of securing Champions League football next season | OneFootball

David Lynch: Liverpool Will Not Qualify for the Champions League This Season

Following Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, respected journalist David Lynch has stated unequivocally that he sees “no chance” of Liverpool finishing in the Premier League top five this season. Speaking on Media Matters for Anfield Index, Lynch detailed why, in his view, the club’s Champions League ambitions are now over.

“That’s, you know, with a big body of evidence behind me,” Lynch said of his claim. “I’m not just making that on the subject of, ‘Oh, they’ve lost to Manchester City,’ I’m absolutely fuming about that. But they are… four points behind fifth. So, it’s a two-result swing that they’re reliant on there.”

The defeat at Anfield saw Liverpool drop to sixth, and Lynch believes their form simply doesn’t support any late-season resurgence. “Over the last 20 games in the Premier League… they’ve picked up 24 points. Six wins, six draws, eight defeats,” he said.

Form worse than rivals and mid-table clubs

Lynch pointed to comparative form tables over the last 20 games to underline the scale of Liverpool’s decline: “Chelsea have got 35 [points], so they’re 11 points more than Liverpool in that period. Manchester United’s form in that time… they’ve picked up 37, so 13 points more than Liverpool.”

Even more concerning, Lynch said, was how clubs further down the table have outperformed them: “Fulham are in better form, Brighton, Newcastle, Sunderland, Everton, Brentford… all these sides have picked up more points over the last 20 games.”

For Lynch, the idea of a sudden upturn is entirely unrealistic. “What we’re saying is that Liverpool, very suddenly, to get in the Champions League now, clicks in a way that we’ve seen no indication that’s coming whatsoever. So I just think everybody needs to kind of get their heads around now and completely accept that Liverpool will not be playing Champions League football next season.”

Slot’s position and long-term implications

With Arne Slot under increasing scrutiny, Lynch questioned how long this form can be tolerated: “Unless Liverpool just lose and lose and lose, I think it will run to the end of the season regardless. Personally, I’m not against the idea of getting to the end of the season. But if they get to the end of the season and this form has continued, the call has got to be to make a change to the manager.”

He also rejected comparisons with Jürgen Klopp’s worst spells in charge, noting that Klopp had clearer mitigating factors. “We just don’t see that here. We’ve seen 20 games now of really, really awful form from Liverpool with no turning point in sight.”

Top four not enough to call it progress

Even considering the possibility of a Europa League spot, Lynch believes that would still represent underperformance: “I’m absolutely fine with accepting this as a transition season, but I think the floor for Liverpool in a transition season should still be top four.”

Summing up, Lynch said, “If they are [to qualify for the Champions League], my God, the transformation that’s coming up now… is going to be remarkable. It’s going to be an incredible turnaround.”